Category: Shingles

If you try to find out what is the duration of shingles, you will find the answer quite vague, being between three and five weeks. Instead of asking ‘what is the duration of shingles’, therefore, you should learn to understand the pattern of the disease

When determining how long does shingles last, we find that this will vary. It is a disease that tends to go through a number of stages. First, the virus gets reactivated, after which it travels through the nerves.

Information on shingles duration period, unfortunately, can be quite hard to come by, because it varies depending on numerous factors. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has stated that anyone who has had chickenpox has a 20% chance of eventually also having shingles.

The sores are red and may be itchy or they can sting. The first thing that comes to mind when having these bumps is to scratch or rub them for relief, but this can only make things worse. Instead of enduring the discomfort in silence, try one of these 5 home remedies for shingles.

If you know someone who has been diagnosed with shingles, and you’re wondering “how contagious is shingles”, it’s worth noting that this condition is less contagious than chickenpox. If you have not had chickenpox and have a compromised immune system, then you might contract this virus through contact with unscabbed shingles blisters. Once the blisters scab over, they are no longer contagious.

The shingles rash is contagious until all the blisters have scabbed and dried up. Also, it’s worth noting that if the blisters within the virus have been covered by a dressing, it’s unlikely that the virus will be passed on to other people. This is because the virus is passed through contact with the blisters on a person’s skin directly.

For many sufferers of shingles, nerve damage causes pain and discomfort which remains long after the virus has left the body. This is called postherpetic neuralgia. Fortunately, there are home remedies for shingles nerve pain which have been proven to be effective.

So how do you know if you have shingles? Well, there are some physical reactions to the virus, which will tip you off. Some of the first signs are redness, soreness, itching, and blotchiness across the skin. The initial appearance of the rash tends to be somewhere on the abdomen, but this can quickly spread up to the chest, neck and outwards towards extremities.